Killer of disabled Clovis man to be released, after Newsom didn’t block parole. Here’s where
Officials confirmed Thursday the killer of a developmentally disabled Clovis man will be released into San Francisco County within the next 10 days.
Convicted killer David Weidert was granted parole after 40 years and several parole denials in the past decade.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation does not release exact times and locations of a release, because of security concerns, the department said Thursday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom did not block the release of the 58-year-old on Monday though he interceded last year. The Soledad State Prison inmate was also denied parole twice by former Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Board of Parole Hearings determined Weidert “does not pose a current unreasonable risk to public safety,” Newsom’s office said Monday without elaborating.
Weidert was convicted in 1980 of killing 20-year-old Michael Morganti, whose family said was developmentally disabled. Weidert was 17 at the time and received a life sentence.
Weidert was considered a youthful offender who has “an impeccable prison record” and four psychological assessments saying he would be of little risk if released, said his attorney, Charles Carbone.
“Mr. Weidert understands the gravity of his crime and the permanent seriousness of the consequences to the victim and the victim’s family. He’s somebody who has always emphasized his remorse and his acceptance of responsibility,” Carbone said.
Morganti served as a lookout to commit a $500 burglary that involved Weidert, according to prosecutors.
Morganti later spoke with law enforcement, and Weidert silenced him by taking him to an isolated location to kill him. Morganti was beaten with a baseball bat and a shovel, stabbed with a knife, and forced to dig his own grave before being buried alive, prosecutors have said.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 6:42 PM.
